Every research project is a little different. Even guides like this one often give the impression that research is a straight line from start to finish, but real life is messier. Research includes the following actions, which can be performed many times before the project is complete.

• Task Definition: What are you hoping to discover? What information could conceivably be part of your discovery process?
• Locating Materials: Do you have enough primary and secondary sources? Are your claims supported by enough evidence? If you're using a dataset, check out OSU Libraries' Data Sharing Wizard to understand how that data can be used.
• Synthesizing Material: How does the information from your sources inform your findings? How do your claims engage with materials that precede it?
• Evaluating: Is each section of your research sending the intended message? How will your research interact with the outside world?

You use the search terms from your research topic to search for journal articles on a topic - usually in a database.

Start your searches with broad searches (2-3 keywords, not too specific) in a general database like 1Search or Google Scholar.  Google Scholar is simple to search in, but it does take some practice to learn how to get articles that are not freely available and to make sure you are choosing the best scholarly articles (See OSU's Google Scholar guide to learn more).

If your topic is more specialized, you may want to search in a subject database. Subject databases are available through the library for almost every topic including education. The main databases for education is called ERIC, but there are others.

To help you find resources in the OSU Libraries related to your topic, try searching by subject. Many items in the library catalog have been tagged with subject headings. For example:

• Charter schools
•  Educational equalization -- United States
•  Multicultural education -- United States
• Teachers -- Training of -- United States
• College costs -- United States
• Community colleges -- United States
• Vocational Education

After you've located a subject heading that's close to what you want, you can search within it for more specific sources. Click the "Advanced Search" link next to the subject search box. Next, enter your narrowing term in the next search box.

For example, the screenshot below indicates a search that will return every item that...

• ... has been tagged with the "Charter schools" subject heading and also
• ... mentions "diversity" anywhere in the item's record: title, author, table of contents, etc.

Do you want an ebook or a peer-reviewed article? Use the "Refine my results" options on the right side of the screen to get closer and closer to your goals. By narrowing down your searches you can focus an astounding number of items into a manageable selection.

Some search engines group multi-word phrases together with "quotation marks". For example, a search for "digital divide" in quotation marks may return documents where the words "digital" and "divide" are next to each other rather than scattered throughout the document.

Reading a book or article you're planning to use in your research draws on different skills than everyday reading. As you progress in your research, it's a good idea to read with a combination of purposeful skimming and focused analysis. For example:

• Set yourself up for success. Find a productive environment (like the library) for your reading. Limit outside distractions like noise, hunger, and friends.
• Start with a goal. Determine what you're hoping to learn from your resource. It's all right if this reason changes while reading.
• Preview the text. Skim the resource for guideposts like abstracts, chapter titles, and sub-headings. These guideposts provide an overview of what you're about to read.
• Take notes. Research can be tiring. Keep a trail of notes while you work, so you can step away from your work and return to it later. Sticky notes, highlighters, and writing directly on your article can be helpful, as can citation tools.
• Dig deep. Check a dictionary for new words that may be the key to understanding the piece. Check a subject dictionary if the source seems to be using the term in a discipline-specific fashion.

• Cast a wide net. Do a little background research on unfamiliar references within your source. Google and Wikipedia are fine tools for this step, but by the time your research task is complete your information should be grounded in stronger, more trustworthy sources.
• Follow trails. Note the key sources used by your source. Even if the article you're reading turns out to be unhelpful, it may point you toward a more helpful book or article in its Work Cited or Bibliography section